Apparatus for hardening and tempering wire



C. O. JOHNSON.

APPARATUS FOR HARDENING AND TEMPERING WIRE. APPLICATION FILED APR. 19, 1919.

1,3623321 Patented Dec. 14, 1920.

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, UNITED STATES CHARLES O. JOHNSON. OF WORCESTER,- MASSAC HUSETTS.

APPARATUS FOR HARDENING AltTD TEMPERING Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Dec. 14, 1920.

Application filed April 19, 1919. Serial No. 291,322.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, CHARLES a citizen of the United States, residing at Worcester, in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts; have invented a new and useful Apparatus for Hardening and Tempering Wire, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to; bright hardening or bright tempering of Wire, or both and it relates more specifically to that type of apparatus in' which the wire is first passed through a bath of molten lead and then through a bath of oil. Commonly the wire is 'first passed through the lead bath and then from the lead to the oilbathin either case.

So far as I am aware it has been necessary heretofore to;' 'bring the wire out of the molten lead through a pipe into the oil.

With my invention, however, the pipe sys-- term, with the well known inherent difiiculties pertaining thereto is rendered unnecessary.

Figure 1 is a plan of ahardenin'g and tempering apparatus constructed in accord-' ance with this invention;

Fig. 2 is aside elevation of the same; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal central sectional view on the line 3--3 of Fig. 1 showing either the hardening or the tempering apparatuson a larger scale, and

' Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the dam I which constitutes an element of this invention. 4 1

A plurality of wires are led as usual through the lead kettle 10 in the hardening furnace 9 then through an oilibath 11 in the oil pan 12 for hardening purposes, and then it is led through a second lead kettle 13 at a lower temperature and a second oil bath 14: in'theoil pan 1-5 for tempering. I 1

It is at the point where the wire passes from the lead to the oil ineach case that the wire is to be protected from contact with the open air. In order to accomplish this ,1 provideslots 16'through the discharge end wall- 0. J oHNsoN,

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings in whichpliesin full detail to the tempering apparatus except that the temperature is lower and the leadibath is open instead of being 17 of the lead kettle. These slots or grooves extend from the top down to a level below the normal level of the molten lead in the kettle. The adjacent contacting wall of the 011 pan is preferably lower than the rest of the walls of the saidpan; the grooves 16 are of a size adapted to the size of the wire so as to allow molten lead to stand in them as the wire passes through without allowing the'lead to pass out through and beyond said grooves. The molten lead does not wet or stick to the Walls of the grooves. It does not run out through the grooves becauseof the natural repulsion between the surfaces of the lead and metal of which the wall 1s made, and because the grooves are near the. surface of the lead bath, and because oil of a lower temperature meets the lead in the grooves'and repels the lead. A space 18 is provided at the end of the oil pan. Just beyond this space there is a dam 20 provided with slots or grooves 21 in its upper edge or :apex for receiving the wires from the slots 16 in a straight course. Thus the wires pass through grooves formed of the slots 16 and 21, the oil meeting the lead in the slots. The dam is'held in position and is adjustabletransversely andvertically to the length of the oil pan by means of screws 22 through slots 22 inthe sides of the pan and is adapted to allow oil to flow through the grooves'2'1 and over the apex of the dam 20 into the space 18 so as to seal the wire passing through the slots 16 from contact with 1 the air and, by its flow in this direction and over the dam, prevent the heating of the oil in'the pan.

In the oil pan at the bottom of the space 18, there is a drain at 23 of a desired kind.

The oil pan 12 is adjustable up and down on the stand 15* at the rear. end by any desired means such as wedges or thumb screws 26 so as to regulate the flow of oil over the .dam, to properly seal the wire from. the air.

The oil s supplied through a supply pipe 27 and'an over-flow pipe 28 is also shown.

- Although the above description has been applied principally to the hardening apparatus'it will be understood that it also apcontained in a closed oven or. furnace.

j In this way the hardening and tempering operations. take place without the use of pipes, the wire'being prevented from being exposed to the air by a simple and effective means as it passes from the lead "kettle to the oil pan and at the same time kept at practically one level through the operation andyet' the apparatus is extremely SlIIlPlG and comparatively inexpensive, durable and ractical.

. Although I have illustrated and described only a single form of the invention I am aware of the fact that modifications can be made therein by any person skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention'as expressed in the claims. Therefore I do not wish to be limited 'to all the details of construction. and combinations of parts herein shown and described, but what I do claim is 1. In an apparatus for treating wire, the combination with a lead bath and an oil bath, of means for keeping the wire constantly submerged in liquid and thus preventing the wire from being exposedto the air as it passes from one' to the other comprising a dam having a groove for the. wire to pass through.

2. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with a lead kettle and an'oil bath located end to end, of means for leading wire from one to the other in a practically straight line below the level of, and submerged in, the oil and lead to keep the wire from being exposed to the air.

3. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with a lead kettle and an oil bath located in contact end to end, of means for leading wire from one to the other below the level of the oil and lead.

4:. In an apparatus of the character described, a lead bath and an oil bath in position to receive wires from the lead bath, and means for keeping the wire from being exposed to the air comprising a series of rooves for the wire, said grooves extending below the level of the lead and oil whereby the lead and oil meet in the grooves.

5. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a. lead bath and an oil bath in position to receive wires from the lead bath, and means between them for keeping the wire from being exposed to the air comprising the wall of the lead bath and a. dam located at the 'receivin end of the oil bath and having a series of grooves for the Wire, said grooves extending below the level of the lead and oil, whereby the lead and oil meet in the grooves and seal the wire from contact with the air.

6. In an apparatus for bright hardening and bright tempering of wire or either, the combination with a lead kettle and an oil bath, of a dam for keeping the wireout of contact with the aireas it passes from one to the other, said dam having a groove for the wire, means for adjusting said dam to regulate the flow of oil over said dam and through said groove, and an oil drain from a point near the dam but between it and the lead kettle.

i 7. In an apparatus for tempering wire, the combination with a lead kettle andan oil bath, of a dam between them in position for receiving the wire while immersed in the lead for keeping the wire from contact with the air, said dam being adjustable and having a groove extending horizontally through the apex thereof and containing oil. 7

8. The method of-bright hardening or bright tempering wire which consists inpassing the wire from a lead bath directly into an oil bath at a point below the surface of both, and keeping the Wire immersed in r the lead until it enters the oil, to prevent access ofair to the wire as it passes from one to the other. i

9. In an apparatus. for-bright hardening and tempering of wire the combination with a lead kettle and an oil pan detachably connected therewith and its connecting end vertically adjustable, of a plurality of grooves in the top of the connecting end of the lead kettle, and extending below the surface of the molten lead therein, with an adjustable dam in said pan, grooves in said dam corresponding to the grooves in said kettle, said dam being adapted to allow oil to flow over it and thro-ughthe grooves therein to protect the wire passin through the grooves from the lead kettle to the oil pan from contact with the air. an oil supply pipe for said pan and means for draining said pan.

10. A method of hardening and tempering wire which consists in passing the wire CHARLES o. JOHNSON. 

